r.e.m

jocelyn flores.

T/W: DV, SA.

Date: October 8th
Time: 4:11 PM
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah

"I know you're somewhere, somewhere
I've been trapped in my mind girl, just holding on."

Every second, every minute, felt like an eternity.

Shit. It felt like we were all moving in slow motion, the seconds dragging by like hours. The hotel room, the empty bed, the sudden absence of her presence—it felt like I was suffocating. Jazelle was missing, a painful reminder that I couldn't keep her safe. The fact alone killed me.

I couldn't focus. Every time I closed my eyes, all I saw was her. Her smile, the way she looked at me when we were together, and how she made me feel like I could breathe easier for the first time in my life.

My heart raced in ways I couldn't control, my mind spinning, trying to catch up to the mess that had suddenly erupted. Jazelle was missing. No trace. No calls. No messages. Just... gone.

I should've been the one to keep her safe. I was supposed to protect her, keep her close, and keep her away from the bullshit that tried to drag her back into hell. But right now, I felt like I was losing. Every second that passed without her felt like a hundred years.

The lady at the front desk had said she gave Jazelle directions to the park, the same park we were now searching. My fingers were numb from gripping my phone so hard, that the screen had cracked. It killed me, the dead silence on the other end of the line when I'd tried calling her.

Gage padded along beside me, his usually energetic pace subdued by the weight of the search. His ears perked, and every time I glanced down at him, I could see it, the worry in his eyes, the same worry that ate at me. Rabbit was a few steps ahead, his focus as intense as mine, his gaze darting around the park. The cold, damp air of Salt Lake City wrapped around us, making every step feel heavier than the last.

Jazelle was out there, somewhere, and I couldn't shake the feeling that if we didn't find her soon, I might never see her again. I couldn't even remember how many times I'd called her phone. It kept ringing, and every time it went to voicemail, I felt like things were just getting worse.

We combed through the park. The trees swayed in the wind, their bare branches cracked across the ground, but there was no sign of her. Gage's nose was down, his instincts kicking in, but every time he sniffed the ground and let out a low whine, it was a painful reminder of the loss of her presence. I wanted to tell myself she went exploring, or she was just playing with us but deep down, I could feel it, something was wrong. I felt it from the moment I woke up and she wasn't beside me.

Gage let out a low growl, sniffing around a trash can near the park's edge, his ears perked up. Rabbit and I exchanged a glance, a silent understanding passing between us. We approached slowly, the uncertainty biting at me with every step.